As the transfer season heats up, Kylian Mbappé, the 25-year-old Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star, has discussed rumors about his imminent departure from the club. Despite entering the last six months of his contract, allowing him to negotiate pre-contract agreements with other European clubs, Mbappé insists that he hasn’t made a decision yet.
Given the unusual circumstances surrounding the expiration of Mbappé’s contract, his potential transfer is expected to be one of the most significant in recent football history, especially considering there will be no transfer fee involved (though there will be a lot of other costs, including a mammoth signing-on fee). Earlier this week, Le Parisien reported that Liverpool was among the sides keen to sign the attacker in the summer.
Both Arsenal and Chelsea have been facing challenges with their striking force in the first half of the 2023/24 season and are on the lookout for new talent as well. They have been linked with Ivan Toney and Victor Osimhen, but mid-season deals seem increasingly unlikely, and Football.London reports that the pair have both been linked with Mbappé as well.
While Mbappé’s move isn’t expected until summer when he can leave PSG freely at the end of his contract, preparations can be initiated now with a pre-contract agreement. However, the two-time World Cup Golden Boot winner is not rushing things. He stated (via Marca): “I haven’t made any decision on my future. I didn’t make a choice. Nobody talks about my situation inside the club, it’s not a topic.
“With the agreement I made with the president this summer, whatever my decision, we managed to protect all parties and preserve the serenity of the club for future challenges, which is what is important. The rest is secondary. In 2022 I didn’t know my decision until May. If I know what I want to do, I shouldn’t let the decision drag out. It wouldn’t make any sense. No one talks about my situation within the club, it doesn’t interest many people.”
These sentiments were echoed by PSG’s head coach Luis Enrique earlier in the week. Enrique had initially excluded Mbappé from his squad for the pre-season tour of Japan following a dramatic turn of events. After Mbappé decided not to activate a one-year extension in his deal that would bind him until 2025, PSG planned to sell him off to prevent losing him for free.
However, plans changed swiftly and Mbappé has since played a crucial role in Enrique’s first season, scoring 18 goals in 16 games. Now, PSG seems to have no option but to let its star player go unless another dramatic U-turn is made.
Real Madrid is the most likely destination for Mbappé. But The Athletic has previously reported that PSG will do everything in its power to prevent him from moving to Santiago Bernabéu after relations between the two sides broke down.
As of now, there’s no evidence to suggest that Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea are preparing for life with the former Monaco man. But given the unique nature of the situation, they will undoubtedly be keeping a close eye on developments.
